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Amina’s Voice.

Middle-school’s challenges and changes leave Amina, a Pakistani American, wishing she’d never left elementary school. Her best friend befriends a classmate who has teased them both in the past. And Amina’s petrified of rising out of the school’s chorus and performing a solo. Narrator Nankani is skilled at Urdu-accented English, creating a distinct voice for each parent and even putting slight traces of the accent into the younger generation, who’ve been raised in the U.S. Nankani’s narration highlights the story’s emotions: awkward remorse when Amina mistakenly reveals a friend’s secret crush; her mother’s fear and her desire to reassure her children after the Islamic Center is vandalized. Although the ending is almost too rosy, Amina’s struggle to find her place as friendships shift will resonate with middle-graders. The details of her family life and community ground the narrative, while Nankani’s superb narration elevates a compelling story. Amanda Blau